1. Field
The present invention relates generally to limiting access to information on mobile computing devices and, more specifically, to modulating mobile-device displays based on ambient signals to reduce the likelihood of fraud.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some cases, people obtain valuable goods and services from others in exchange for drawing upon a balance in a stored value card, which includes the digital equivalent. Examples include open-loop stored value cards and closed-loop stored value cards, each of which may take various forms, such as gift cards, rebate cards, payroll cards, and the like. In many cases, the value stored on the card is spent by presenting to a retailer certain information, such as a card number and a pin number.
Recently, online exchanges have arisen where those in possession of such cards sell the cards, often at a discount relative to the card balance. For example, a user may receive a gift card, as a birthday present, to a store that the user no longer favors, and the user may sell the card, in exchange for cash or another type of card, to the exchange or a different user on such an exchange. In some cases, access to the value of the card is conveyed by sending the card and pin numbers, without transferring possession of any physical token, like the card itself. Thus, a buyer of a card may receive information, for example, an email, text, or in-app data, that they can present on their mobile device to a retailer to buy goods or services with the value remaining on the card. In some cases, the user may then re-sell or leave a remaining balance on the card back to an exchange, or the exchange may authorize the user to only use a portion of the value stored on the card.
This approach, while relatively convenient for users, can give rise to certain types of fraud. One consequence of granting access to cards via networks, e.g., with mobile computing devices, without transferring a physical token, is that each party having access to the card (e.g., the seller, the first buyer who spends part of the balance, the second buyer who spends another part, and so on) could potentially retain the information needed to spend the remaining balance on the card, even after the card has been sold on the exchange or returned to the exchange. For instance, there is a risk the first buyer could use part of the card's balance, return the card to the exchange, and then spend the remaining balance on the card before the card is sold again on the exchange (or after the card is sold but before it is used by the second buyer).